Cleaning brush

ABSTRACT

The cleaning brush has a holding means for simultaneously assembling, fastening and holding integrally a pair of back-toback top and bottom mounted brush surfaces with short slanting bristles that are implanted therein. The bristles are 1 - 7 m/m in length and each of the inclined angles of the bristles to the respective brush surfaces is preferably 3* - 60* or at least 60* - 80*.

United States Patent [191 Tsuruzawa [4 1 Oct. 16, 1973 CLEANING BRUSH [75 iifiriib'r; Teruya 'l snruzavra, Osaka, Japan [73] Assign eez Nipiitin Seal Cc.,Ltd.,Osaka,

Japan ii c fizTfiii [21] Appl. No.: 210,858

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 820,119, April 29,

1969, Pat. N0. 3,648,318.

[52] US. Cl 15/106, 15/143, 15/231,

306/41 [51] Int. Cl. A46b 3/10, A46b 9/02 [58] Field of Search 15/106, 107, 114,

DIG. 6, 143, 231; 119/85, 86, 89, 93;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,421,171 1/1969 Tsurvzawa 15/159 AUX 200,218 2/1878 Nicholson 15/106 X 1,078,556 11/1913 Rogers 15/106 44,791 /1864 Ells 1. 2,629,121 2/1953 Petre /200 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 634,274 2/1928 France 15/200 254,534 7/1926 Great Britain 15/107 754,147 8/1933 France 132/120 1,426,644 12/1965 France 15/118 Japan 15/210 R Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Attorney-Otto John Munz [57] ABSTRACT The cleaning brush has a holding means for simultaneously assembling, fastening and holding integrally a pair of back-to-back top and bottom mounted brush surfaces with short slanting bristles that are implanted therein. The bristles are 1 7 m/m in length and each of the inclined angles of the bristles to the respective brush surfaces is preferably 3 60 or at least 60 14 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Patented Oct. 16, 1973 I 3,765,046

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Oct. 16,1973 I I 3,765,046

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 16, 1973 3,765.046

s Sheets-Sheet :5

1 CLEANING BRUSH CROSS-REFERENCES TO OTHER APPLICATIONS.

This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 820,1 l9 filed on Apr. 29, 1969, now US Pat. No. 3,648,318, issued Mar. 14, 1972.

Also, this application is an improvement on a cleaning brush disclosed in US. Pat. 3,421,171, that issued on Jan. 14, 1969 to the same applicant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a cleaning brush, and more particularly is directed to a multi-brushing surface cleaning brush which has short slanting bristles that lean in 'one direction for a complete brushing operation.

The conventional brush has bristles disposed perpendicularly to a single brush surface. Accordingly, it merely moves dust particles from one position to another when brushing, but it'does not remove the dust particles sufficiently from the surface being brushed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention eliminates the aforementioned disadvantage of the conventional brushand provides a novel and improved cleaning brush which removes substantially all of the dust particles by easy manipulations of the brush handle.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning brush which has several brush surfaces,each of which is implanted with short slanting bristles and a holder arrangement for supporting the brush surfaces and the brush handle.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning brush holding means which comprises a handle portion and two planar brush portions that extend substantially in the same plane as the handle portionand an end brush portion which is positioned opposite from the handle portion;

each of the respective-brush surfaces has short slanting bristles attached or implanted thereon.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning brush characterized by the fact that the bristles are made of fibers such as natural fibers, chemical fibers, synthetic fibers -or glass fibers; the bristles are constructed to be in the range of 1 to 7 m lm in length; each of the inclined angles of the bristles tothe brush surfaces is constructed to be in the range of 3 to 60- or at least 60 to 80.

Therefore, one object of this invention is to provide a cleaning brush having several brushing surfaces which if used in successive brushing steps will substantially remove all of the dust particles by easy manipulations of the brush handle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a multisurface cleaning brush which is compact and convenient to carry, handle and use.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a cleaning brush of a size and shape convenient to the user which'is exceedingly light in weight and provided with a substantially increased bristle area.

Preferably in the cleaning brush in accordance with the present invention, the brush has a primary brush surface with short slanting bristles to initially brush the dust particles.

Further, the brush has secondary or subordinate brush surfaces to brush the same or additional dust particles at the completion of the brushing step with the primary brush surface. These secondary brush surfaces assure that substantially all of the dust particles will be removed from the surface being brushed.

Preferably in the cleaning brush in accordance with the present invention, the brush has several brush surfaces to be used in successive steps by the user. Each of the brush surfaces is implanted with l to 7 m/m length bristles that slant in one direction at inclined angles of 3 to 60 with respect to the respective supporting brush surface. Accordingly, the brushing operation performed by the successive brushing steps will substantially remove all of the dust particles from the surface being brushed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other objects, advantages and aspects of this invention will become more apparent in the following detailed description of the seven embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein FIG. lais a perspective view of a cleaning brush with a unitary holding means. I I r FIG. 1b is a lateral side view of the brush in FIG. Ia.

FIG. 2a is a lateral cross-sectionthrough the preferred cleaning brush with a holding means in its assembled state. I I V FIG. 2b isa perspective view of the brush surfaces in FIG. 2a wrapped around the back plate. a

FIG. 20 shows the clamping of" the brush of FIG. 2a

disassembled.

FIG. 3a is a longitudinal side view of a cleaning brush with a holding means according to FIG. 20.

FIG. 3b is a lateral side view of the brushof FIG. 3a.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been selected for illustration in the drawings, and the following description is drawn in specific terms for the purpose of describing those forms of the invention, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which'is defined in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings,-there are illustrated various brush surfaces that utilize a plurality of closely implanted short bristles which are leaned to the respective surface thereof, as will hereinafter be explained in detail. j A In FIGS. la and 1b, the cleaningbrush comprises a circular brush surface 1, on which. a plurality of short bristles 2 made of fibers such as natural fibers, chemical fibers, synthetic fibers or glass fibers, threads or wool are provided closely thereon and ,the bristles are leaned toward a'constant direction, and a holding device includinga handle 3 for a user's hand to be held and a holder 4 for supporting the brush surface 1. The material for the outer brush surface 1 is preferably a relatively flexible material such as synthetic leather. As illustrated in FIG. lb, the brush surface 1 is supported by an internal sponge-like resilient supporting material 5 that is conventional in the art. The brush layer 1 is secured at its periphery to a back plate 6 which in turn is mounted on the holder 4. Thus, there is-formecl a firmly supported single brushing surface 1 which may be easily manipulated during a brushing operation by the'unitary handle construction.

A suitable length for each of the bristles 2is l to 7 mm., and the angle of inclination for each of the slanting bristles 2 with respect to the supporting brush surface 1 may be 3 to 60, but is preferably 60 to 80.

Referring now to FIG. 2a, the brush includes a brush surface or layer 1, which structure is similar to that of the first embodiment. Likewise, a back plate 6 is provided to firmly secure the brush surface 1 which has the short slanting bristles 2 implanted thereon.

The brush surface 1 maybe referred to as the primary brushing surface because, as a general rule, this surface will be the first brushing surface to be utilized by a user in an attempt to brush the dust particles from a surface being brushed. As can be seen in FIG. 2a to 20, a holder 7 includes a frame portion 8 and a handle or tang portion 9 having holes 10 for receiving securing rivets 11. The holder 7 supports the lower brush surface 1 and also supports an upper brushing surface or layer 12. A hollow handle 9a such as shown on FIGS. 2a and 3a is slipped over the tang and joined with it by the rivets. The upper brush surface 12 that includes short bristles l3 slant in the same direction as the bristles 2 of the lower brush surface 1 and is secured in a like manner as the lower brush structure to a back plate 14, as shown in greater detail on FIGS. 2a, 2b, 2c and 3a and 3b. The back plates have extended flanges.

The upper brush surface 12 may be referred to as a secondary brushing surface because this surface will be the second brushing surface to be utilized by a user. It is to be appreciated that the normal reaction of a brush user would be to pick up the instant brush device and to proceed to use the first surface, turned toward the material to be brushed, as the lower brush surface 1 prior to turning over the brush device and using the opposite, upper brush surface 12. The bristles in the species of FIGS. 2a-2c are oriented in the same manner as the bristles of the species of FIGS. la, 1b, that is, the bristles are inclined in a direction perpendicular to the handle 9a. A user may well find that after using the in stant brush device once or several times, the brush surface 1 will become clogged or filled with dust particles and the like. Then, the user can easily turn the brush over to use the upper brush surface 12 as the primary or initial brushing surface. Once both surfaces are dirty, the user can clean the entire brush by washing,

" brushing of theaccumulated lintin the opposite direc-.

tion or the like and then the primary-secondary brushing cycles outlined above could commence once again.

As shown in FIG. 2a, a fore-end member 15 is fixedly attached to the holder 7 to provide a further secondary or auxiliary brushing surface of a narrow width for supporting a small number of bristles l6 thereon. The foreend member 15 is positioned on frame portion 8a diametrically opposite to the handle portion 9. The bristles 16 are of the same short length and slanting type as the bristles 2 and 13 previously described. It occurs sometimes during a brushing operation that it is difficult to remove dust particles that have accumu lated in a corner location and the like or merely that a group of dust particles are stubbornly embedded in a particular spot or area. It has been found to be beneficial and convenient for a user to have immediate access to a narrow width brush such as bristle group 16 to perform a particular difficult brushing chore. In FIGS. 3a and 3b, there is disclosed a modification of the form shown in FIGS. 2a to 2c. With exception that the auxiliary brushing surface on fore-end member 15 being eliminated, this modification is substantially identical in structure to that of FIGS. 2a to 2c.

It is to be understood that in manipulating a brush, the user naturally brushes toward the direction at a right angle with the direction of the handle. With the brush, as shown in FIGS. la and lb, having bristles 2 which are inclined to the direction perpendicular to the handle 3 only on a single side, the user cannot effect the operation of downward brushing" after the brush is transferred from one hand to the other because in such a situation the direction of the inclination will be exactly reversed.

By employing a brush, as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, having bristles 2,13 which are inclined in a the direction perpendicular to the handle 9a on both sides with the direction of the bristles slant being the same on both sides, the user can effect downward brushing even when the user transfers the brush from one hand to the other.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that a brush which has bristles 2,13 on both sides as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b functions in the same manner as the brush having a rotatable brush surface which was disclosed in the abovementioned US. Patent No. 3,421,171.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein it will become obvious that numerous omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning brush comprising:

a holding means for simultaneous assembly, fastening and holding integrally a pair of back-to-back top and bottom mounted brush surfaces and a handle;

said holding means comprising a resilient frame bent into a planar frame portion, forming a receptacle for said brush surfaces by embracing the same;

said top and bottom brush surfaces supported by said holding means and having short bristles leaning in one direction at an angle to said respective brush surface, the inclined angles of said bristles being 3 to said top and bottom brush surfaces made of a flexible material and joined with each other at the peripheries thereof by said frame.

2. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bristles are made of natural fibef s 3. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bristles are made of synthetic fibers. 1

4. A cleaning brush as set forth invclaim I, wherein said bristles are from 1 to 7 mm. in length.

5. A cleaning brush, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a fore end brush member attached to the other end of said holding means and opposite to said handle;

said fore end member having bristles implanted thereon;

said fore end bristles being from I to 7 mm. in length.

6. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein the slant of the inclined bristle angles of said top and lower brush surfaces is in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said handle.

7. A cleaning brush comprising in combination:

a holding means for simultaneous assembly, fastening and integral holding of a first brush surface;

a backing material supporting said brush surface,

said holding means comprising:

a handle;

a rod bent into a substantially planar frame portion,

forming a receptacle for said brush surface;

a tang extending from the ends of said frame portion;

said brush surface with said backing material integrally clamped with said receptacle;

said tang integrally joined with said handle;

said brush surface provided with short bristles from 1 to 7 mm in length, said bristles leaning in one dimotion at an angle to said brush surface between 3 to 80; said at least one brush surface supporting material comprising a backing plate with its circumference mating with the interior of said planar frame portion and resilient supporting material between the brush surface and the plate.

8. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 7, the ends of said rod forming said tang, said handle forming a receptacle for said tang.

9. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a second brush surface, attached to said holding means at a point of circumference of said planar frame portion.

10. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 8,

comprising two brush surfaces, mounted to said planar frame portion, back to back relative to each other.

11. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim-l0,

said handle being elongated and substantially aligned with the central longitudinal axis of said frame portion;

said bristles on each of said two brushsurfaces being inclined at an angle from said planar frame of between 3 to in a common direction substantially perpendicular to the elongation of the axis of said handle.

12. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 8, in which said resilient material is a pad having a convex outer surface.

13. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 7,

said handle being elongated and hollow;

said rod being resilient and bent into a substantially oval planar elongated frame portion, the two ends of said rod extending as a tang in opposite symmetrically matching extensions into the hollow handle;

a backing pad on each side of the backingplate;

a second brush surface attached with its back to the back of said first brush surface, one brush surface over each said backing pad with their bristles extending outwardly, the angles of inclinations of said bristles relative to said planar frame being between 3 to 80 on each of said brush surface in the same directions relative to the longitudinal axis of said brush, the length of said bristles being between l to 14. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 13, each said backing pad being convex, said brush surfaces mounted convexely, to said backing pads. 

1. A cleaning brush comprising: a holding means for simultaneous assembly, fastening and holding integrally a pair of back-to-back top and bottom mounted brush surfaces and a handle; said holding means comprising a resilient frame bent into a planar frame portion, forming a receptacle for said brush surfaces by embracing the same; said top and bottom brush surfaces supported by said holding means and having short bristles leaning in one direction at an angle to said respective brush surface, the inclined angles of said bristles being 3* to 80* ; said top and bottom brush surfaces made of a flexible material and joined with each other at the peripheries thereof by said frame.
 2. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bristles are made of natural fibers.
 3. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bristles are made of synthetic fibers.
 4. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein said bristles are from 1 to 7 mm. in length.
 5. A cleaning brush, as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a fore end brush member attached to the other end of said holding means and opposite to said handle; said fore end member having bristles implanted thereon; said fore end bristles being from 1 to 7 mm. in length.
 6. A cleaning brush as set forth in claim 1, wherein the slant of the inclined bristle angles of said top and lower brush surfaces is in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said handle.
 7. A cleaning brush comprising in combination: a holding means for simultaneous assembly, fastening and integral holding of a first brush surface; a backing material supporting said brush surface, said holding means comprising: a handle; a rod bent into a substantially planar frame portion, forming a receptacle for said brush surface; a tang extending from the ends of said frame portion; said brush surface with said backing material integrally clamped with said receptacle; said tang integrally joined with said handle; said brush surface provided with short bristles from 1 to 7 mm in length, said bristles leaning in one direction at an angle to said brush surface between 3* to 80*; said at least one brush surface supporting material comprising a backing plate with its circumference mating with the interior of said planar frame portion and resilient supporting material between the brush surface and the plate.
 8. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 7, the ends of said rod forming said tang, said handle forming a receptacle for said tang.
 9. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a second brush surface, attached to said holding means at a point of circumference of said planar frame portion.
 10. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 8, comprising two brush surfAces, mounted to said planar frame portion, back to back relative to each other.
 11. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 10, said handle being elongated and substantially aligned with the central longitudinal axis of said frame portion; said bristles on each of said two brush surfaces being inclined at an angle from said planar frame of between 3* to 80* in a common direction substantially perpendicular to the elongation of the axis of said handle.
 12. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 8, in which said resilient material is a pad having a convex outer surface.
 13. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 7, said handle being elongated and hollow; said rod being resilient and bent into a substantially oval planar elongated frame portion, the two ends of said rod extending as a tang in opposite symmetrically matching extensions into the hollow handle; a backing pad on each side of the backing plate; a second brush surface attached with its back to the back of said first brush surface, one brush surface over each said backing pad with their bristles extending outwardly, the angles of inclinations of said bristles relative to said planar frame being between 3* to 80* on each of said brush surface in the same directions relative to the longitudinal axis of said brush, the length of said bristles being between 1 to 7 mm.
 14. A cleaning brush as claimed in claim 13, each said backing pad being convex, said brush surfaces mounted convexely, to said backing pads. 